The media in Fargo, North Dakota were scandalized when a nearby Minnesota priest informed the parents of Lennon Cihak that he would not be confirmed in the local Catholic church after he posted a picture on Facebook supporting gay marriage (or a No vote on the traditional-marriage ballot initiative). Naturally, the liberal parents – who agree with their son – were shocked, shocked that the church would stand for something.

“You kind of know the Catholic beliefs, but I never thought they would deny somebody confirmation because you weren’t 100 percent. I guess that’s what shocks me,” Shana Cihak said. That’s exactly how the Fargo Forum sold it:

BARNESVILLE, Minn. – If you want to be a Catholic, you have to be 100 percent Catholic.

That’s the lesson one family here learned after their 17-year-old son was denied confirmation after the priest at the Assumption Church here found a pro same-sex marriage post on the teen’s Facebook.

Neither the priest nor the local bishop spoke to the newspaper (and reporters somehow aren't smart enough to figure out that "confirmation" is a sacrament where the believer says he or she accepts the entirety of the Catholic faith. It's not a graduation ceremony that you get to attend if you pass a test.) So they felt free to just champion the liberal family, who agree with their son on the political question:

Lennon said fellow students in his confirmation class “liked” the photo on Facebook, but they were still allowed to be confirmed.

“I just thought it was wrong to single him out,” Shana said.

Her husband, Doug Cihak, agreed.

“(LaMoine) was talking about ‘God doesn’t believe in this.’ Well, God created Lennon,” said Doug, adding that he was baptized and raised in the same church.

But now the family is not allowed to participate in Communion there, Doug said, and he’s worried as to how far the sanctions will go, expressing concern about being able to be buried alongside his parents.

Still, Doug insists he’s not mad at LaMoine, calling him just a “messenger” of the church. The same could not be said for his wife, who said she doesn’t plan on returning to the church ever again, her son nodding in agreement.

“You should be able to go to a church for support, help,” Lennon said. “He pushed me away.”

But the ending was the biggest “facepalm” of all:

“But through it all, Lennon said his faith hasn’t faltered.

“I don’t want the church to be put down. I don’t want the Catholic religion to be put down,” he said. “It’s just the way the priest has things running. He’s so strict. He won’t loosen up about things.”

Naturally, Lennon wanted to "give peace a chance."

Liberals never seem to understand that when you join a church (or even when you are raised from birth in a church), it might take certain moral positions that do not change. They always expect churches to "loosen up about things." The local CBS affiliate WDAY also let the liberal argument dominate:

On Barnesville's Main Street, from the beauty salons to cafes, 17-year old Lennon Cihak was the talk of the town. A much respected teen-ager who is known for his work ethic and music. Ask his next door neighbors, the Raftevolds.

LoAnn Raftevold/Lennon's Neighbor: "The controversy started here at Assumption Catholic Church in Barnesville, where the priest refused confirmation after Lennon made a post on Facebook supporting a No vote on Minnesota's Gay Marriage Ammendment. The priest met with Lennon's parents, that not only supported their son, but shared his opinion. Even the Bishop at the Diocese in Crookston would not grant Lennon an appeal. Friends who liked Lennon's post on Facebook got confirmed, Lennon did not."

Lennon's family did not want to speak on camera about the story, but Grandma Cihak sure did.

Dianne Cihak goes to the same church. She's disappointed in her church. Proud of her grandson.

Dianne Cihak/grandmother: "It is a shock for the family. All baptized, married here at Assumption. Now the couple says they cannot even have communion here. Lennon's mother says she won't return. A church, she says, should be welcoming people, not pushing them away."

We contacted the diocese of Crookston for a comment on the story. The Bishop is out of town right now.

Some responsibility for this liberal tilt has to be put on the doorstep of the church and the Bishop's office. When you make a decision like this, it should be entirely expected that the secular liberal press will be highly agitated. It's a chance to preach the church's message. A "No comment" is no way to win hearts and minds.

As someone who teaches the sacrament of confirmation, if I had been in that parish, I would followed all the reporters around and made sure they balanced the story out. They clearly had no professional interest in a fair and balanced story.

It has always seemed to me that a few Catholics consider Catholicism to be some sort of club instead of a religion whose teachings they are to follow. As if they just need to get themselves elected the new Treasurer or Secretary of Whatever and then they can run things their way. And I was always under the impression that going through confirmation was basically imply that you were 'down' with all the churches teachings. Is that incorrect?

This is coming from someone who isn't Catholic, didn't grow up around Catholics and doesn't even know any Catholics now.

While I am not a Catholic, that church has the same right and duty to protect who they consider to be a properly vetted member. It is not honest to seek to be “confirmed” and yet to act contrary to the doctrines being taught.

All Christians know from scripture that homosexuality is wrong. The bibles says so several times. And, abortion is pure baby killing. Taking an innocent life with a beating heart and killing it is morally wrong. Some churches have turned a blind eye on biblical teaching in those areas for whatever reasons.

Not to mention broadcasting it to the world. Seriously, I see people put things on Facebook for the world to see, when I considered some pictures of myself and my girlfriend, then fianceé, then wife, to special to publicly broadcast. Is something seriously wrong with this picture? Seriously, if you have some things to say about yourself, how public you make them says a WHOLE LOT about who you are. I personally don’t bother with plenty of photos about me making political statements. Unless the person knows me I could care less about them seeing some picture of me, and if they know me, well, the photo is irrelevant.

If you read the whole wretched interview, you find that the big reason the family is making a stink about this is because the boy's father is concerned that the family will not be able to be buried together, or near to his parent's graves.

Such things are small potatoes next to the souls of your family, but I don't suppose father really believes in the Living Christ who will judge the living and the dead, either. For him, religion is probably nothing more than smells and bells, baptistries and sepulchres and pretty music. He seems to be merely a consumer of religion-it is beyond the pale for it to make any demands of him.

I personally dont bother with plenty of photos about me making political statements. Unless the person knows me I could care less about them seeing some picture of me, and if they know me, well, the photo is irrelevant.

Exactly. The same here. It's crazy what some people post. Do they even realize that stuff will be in forever cyberspace? As in, Hey granny, I think I saw a naked picture of you on the internet.

The kid isn't driving this. You have to read between the lines a bit, but it was dad who went to the press. Here's how I see it:

Father: the liberal son of an old Catholic family, he loves the physical plant of the church and the "mystical" connection to his ancestors. Real faith? Maybe, maybe not, but one way or the other he is 100% subject to...

...Mother: a liberal agnostic, she tolerated the "church thing" for her husband's sake. Now that repentance has been required she has expressed her intention to leave and never return rather than submit. I suspect that she'll throw herself into the lake of fire on Judgement Day if doing so means that she can continue believing and acting as she chooses.

Son: a typical teenage youth culture drone. I doubt he cares one way or the other. No church means he gets his Sunday mornings back. AWESOME!

So by wanting to be ‘confirmed’(is that right?) but disagreeing with the churches teachings about homosexuality aren’t they saying that they intend to pick and choose what parts of Catholicism they like and and don’t like? Or do I not understand what we’re talking about? (Happens to me all the time.)

Don't misunderstand me. I was making a comment that it should be a given that he would be refused confirmation and it's a sad testament of society that this is a shock to the MSM so much in fact, that they spend an inordinate amount of time making hay out these type of situations. They are vehemently against the Church and the "good guy" according the them, is this very confused kid (The local CBS affiliate WDAY also let the liberal argument dominate).

Once upon a time, it would have been obvious to anyone with any common sense. These days, there is hardly a shred to be found.

37
posted on 11/19/2012 7:16:27 AM PST
by grimalkin
(Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. Friedman)

No one forces those people to be Catholics. If they don’t want to follow the Cathlic beliefs then they can cease being a Catholic and, if they want to continue being a Christian, become, say, a Methodist.

Conversely, the Catholic church can kick them out if they don’t agree with the Catholic set of beliefs.

the unitarian is like many black churches, they use the land, , a building and meet to talk about politics and then claim tax free status.
They they also can get our money through the tax based program .

I’ts such a scam.

Time the Govt clamp down on these frauds disguised as religions and churches, won;t hold my breath though.

It’s possible to have it the other way around, too, what if the father was an agnostic/atheist and the mother a liberal catholic. Yeah, sadly that’s the way my family is, but I decided to be otherwise. Good news is, however, is that I have a more religious family than what I grew up with now, and am a committed believing Catholic, who does care, and doesn’t post any of my past or present beliefs that could be controversial or that the world has no need to see, on Facebook. Even some pictures of myself and my now-wife we agreed just don’t belong on Facebook. They aren’t raunchy, and frankly we did go with an oath of chastity before marriage which we both lived up to, but still, they’re a little too special for us to post to the public, and frankly, whomever would know or care about what’s happening to us would already know what’s neccessary.

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